In these times of increasing employee choice, Generation Z and the ‘portfolio career’, do we think about the top talent – and those with the key skills we need – as consumers? Do our managers? Do we tailor our engagement programs, develop career and succession plans to reflect their needs, make feedback, growth and performance conversations a way of life and develop an ‘offer’ that appeals to them? Are we ready for the consumerisation of talent?
Recent research by the Henley Business School Centre for HR Excellence suggests not…
Professor Nick Kemsley, Co-Director of the Centre for HR Excellence at Henley Business School and Director at Head Light, shares the findings of this research, the trends and what this means for HR in a series of three videos.
A shift is emerging in employee behaviour
In the first video, Professor Nick Kemsley draws on the research from Henley Business School and highlights how, when you draw together the latest workplace and employee trends, a shift can be seen both in the attitude towards work by talented employees and the relationship with employers. He suggests that people with the skills which are in demand hold a highly powerful position. He challenges organisations to start to think differently about its talented people – and how we talk, work and engage with them.
The emergence of the Talent Consumer
In the second video, Professor Nick Kemsley talks about what these trends and emerging new behaviours, might mean for talent management. He suggests that employees and potential employees are beginning to act like consumers – like career consumers – and exhibit many of the behaviours that we exhibit as consumers of products and services. As such, what can we learn from our marketing colleagues?
A change in thinking and action is needed
In the final video, Professor Nick Kemsley flags that the current organisational response to these trends is somewhat patchy. He suggests that the shift required will move us away from some of the current thinking and towards to a more discretionary relationship between an employer and an employee. This requires developing a proper employee value proposition, a re-focus on line managers as talent managers and a better understanding of how our employees feel about work, their needs and whether those needs are being satisfied.
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